Didkowska Anna, Martín-Santander Víctor, Wojciechowska Marlena, Olech Wanda, Anusz Krzysztof, Fernández Antonio, Davies Janine E, Ruíz de Arcaute Marta, Lacasta Delia, Villanueva-Saz Sergio, Marteles Diana
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787, Warsaw, Poland.
These authors contributed equally to this study.
J Wildl Dis. 2025 Jan 1;61(1):253-257. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-24-00032.
The European Bison (Bison bonasus) is the largest mammal in Europe and is classified as an endangered species. Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne disease caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum. In general, this infection has been associated with dogs, cats, and humans. However, epidemiologic studies and reports confirm that the parasite is able to infect many other mammalian species. Recent evidence has demonstrated that ruminants in endemic areas are exposed to L. infantum infection. Moreover, climate change has allowed the northward spread of vector species, causing the expansion of L. infantum infection in regions traditionally classified as nonendemic in Europe. The aim of this study was to determine the presence or absence of anti-L. infantum antibodies in serum samples from 343 European bison in Poland, collected from 2017 to 2023. For this purpose, the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies was analyzed using an in-house multispecies ELISA. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were detected in four animals, an overall seroprevalence of 1.17%. The results provide scientific evidence of serologic exposure to the parasite in Poland, a country previously considered nonendemic for L. infantum infection.
欧洲野牛（Bison bonasus）是欧洲最大的哺乳动物，被列为濒危物种。利什曼病是一种由婴儿利什曼原虫引起的媒介传播疾病。一般来说，这种感染与狗、猫和人类有关。然而，流行病学研究和报告证实，该寄生虫能够感染许多其他哺乳动物物种。最近的证据表明，流行地区的反刍动物会接触到婴儿利什曼原虫感染。此外，气候变化使得媒介物种向北扩散，导致婴儿利什曼原虫感染在欧洲传统上被归类为非流行地区扩大。本研究的目的是确定2017年至2023年在波兰采集的343头欧洲野牛血清样本中是否存在抗婴儿利什曼原虫抗体。为此，使用内部多物种酶联免疫吸附测定法分析抗利什曼原虫抗体的存在情况。在四只动物中检测到抗利什曼原虫抗体，总体血清阳性率为1.17%。这些结果为波兰存在该寄生虫血清学暴露提供了科学证据，波兰此前被认为不是婴儿利什曼原虫感染的流行地区。
